Kroks Invited to Sing At Clinton Inauguration

Further increasing Harvard's representation in the new administration, the Krokodiloes will head to Washington later this month.

But the all-male A Capella group will not be making policy: the Krokodiloes are scheduled to sing at President-elect Clinton's inauguration, the Inaugural Committee will announce Friday.

The Krokodiloes will be the opening act at the New England Inaugural Ball, one of nine official balls in Washington, D.C. that the first couple will attend.

Some of the other acts performing will be U2, Los Lobos, Fleetwood Mac and The Grateful Dead, according to Kyle E. Kimball '95, a member of the Kroks and a former Clinton campaign worker.

Kimball says he began the odyssey of applying to sing at the ball when he asked himself, "Wouldn't it be great if we sang at the inauguration?" From there, Harvard's oldest A Capella group put together a promotional kit and wrote letters to the Talent Division of the Inaugural Committee.

The Director of the Talent Division, Charles Halloran, told the Kroks they would have a better chance of being selected from among the 3,500 applicants if they had recommendations from public figures.

Gov. William F. Weld '66, Sens. Robert J. Dole (R-Kans.), Daniel P. Moynihan (D-N.Y.), Edward M. Kennedy '54-'56 (D-Mass.), John D. Rockefeller '58 (D-W.Va.) and 16 other members of the House and Senate wrote letters of recommendation for the Kroks, who contacted the Massachusetts Congressional delegation and their local U.S. representatives.

"When you've got 3,500 people applying to sing, we had to really stick out,"said Kimball. According to John Shue, the Kroks'contact in the Talent Division, therecommendations were instrumental in winning theKroks their place.

The 12-man group will sing two 45 minute sets,with about eight songs per set.

Their repertory ranges from old favorites like"Blue Moon" to more modern pieces like TomLehrer's "Masochism Tango."

Kimball said the Kroks have not yet decidedwhich pieces they will sing at the ball